Kevin Federline
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan was robbed of a handbag at London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday (September 7), BBC News reports. The actress/singer noticed that the Hermè's Birkin handbag was missing from her luggage cart when she was exiting the terminal. Police said the bag contained "a quantity of jewelry," and Lohan's publicist said the actress' much-needed asthma medication was also inside. According to her representative, Lohan "is begging for the return of the items." Lohan has been in Italy promoting the Emilio Estevez-directed flick "Bobby," which premiered Tuesday at the Venice Film Festival.

Britney Spears is a tough act for husband Kevin Federline to follow — "all of her music is just hit, hit, hit after hit," he said on Wednesday's "Ellen DeGeneres Show" — but K-Fed said he's not competing. "Maybe other people are putting it in that perspective, but I don't see it like that at all. I just have fun." Federline performed "Lose Control" on the show and revealed that he'd like to gain control of his smoking and put quitting on his to-do list now that another baby is joining the family. He revealed that Britney is craving ice chips as her due date draws near, and went home with a ton of baby gifts from DeGeneres, including a mini motorcycle for Sean Preston with a sidecar for the new addition, dubbed "Lil' Fed" by the talk-show host. ...

Jessica Simpson has chosen "I Belong to Me" as the second single from her A Public Affair album. Last month, the singer asked fans to vote on a handful of songs from the LP on her Web site. ... Afeni Shakur has postponed her trip to South Africa to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Tupac's death to June 16, the 30th anniversary of the Soweto uprising as well as Tupac's 36th birthday. ... Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone and Natalie Cole are among the artists performing Friday and Saturday at the United Negro College Fund's annual An Evening of Stars. This year's show is a tribute to Aretha Franklin. ...

Amerie is in the middle of recording her next album, which she's working on in a small studio in Jersey City, New Jersey, with producers including Brian Michael Cox (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey). "I have another song to record, and then it's done," she told MTV News. She describes the music as her signature style infused with '70s funk and '80s new wave. "I have to say it's hot, and not just because I did it," she said. The singer also revealed that she's taking aim at lipstick on one track, titled "Crazy Wonderful." "My sister and I were talking about how you put it on because you want to look cute when you go out, but then you kiss someone and it's all coming off. So for a six-month period, I swore off lipstick." Amerie anticipates that the still-untitled album will be out next spring. ...

Thrice recently updated their fans on the progress they've been making in the studio on their four-disc concept album. "Each disc [will be] themed sonically and thematically to correspond with the four natural elements — earth, air, water and fire," reads an online post from the band. "The album will have somewhere between 20 and 25 songs, divided between the four discs. We are approaching the whole project in a new way for us, both writing and recording. Writing with these elements in mind, we are letting them shape the direction of the songs sonically and thematically. And for the first time, we're recording the record ourselves as we write it, freeing us up to change things as we go." ... The soundtrack for Playstation 2's "Guitar Hero II" has been revealed. Look for the game to boast Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box," Mötley Crüe's "Shout at the Devil," Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine," Avenged Sevenfold's "Beast and the Harlot," Alice in Chains' "Them Bones," Stone Temple Pilots' "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart," Lamb of God's "Laid to Rest" and Every Time I Die's "The New Black." The game is scheduled to be released in November. ...

R.E.M. will get back together with original drummer Bill Berry, who retired from the group in 1997, when the band celebrates its induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on September 16 in Atlanta. The group will play three to-be-announced songs, Reuters reports. ... Black Crowes' manager Pete Angelus announced on the band's message board Wednesday that guitarist Marc Ford has quit the band effective immediately. Angelus said the band received a fax on Tuesday — two days before the start of its fall tour — saying Ford was terminating his agreement with the Crowes, despite a clause in his contract that Angelus said stipulates he must give three months notice. Ford played with the Crowes for more than five years in the '90s and was fired in 1997, rejoining the Crowes in 2005. Paul Stacey will step into the breach for the tour while leaders Chris and Rich Robinson interview other guitarists. The split with Ford came less than a week after longtime keyboardist Eddie Hawrysch left the band, which is working on its first studio LP in six years. ...

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are branching out their Highway Companion Tour — as well as the eclectic list of acts that will be supporting them. Beck will do the honors at a San Diego gig on September 27, while the Dandy Warhols will kick off shows Tuesday in Madison, Wisconsin, and at the last of three Berkeley, California, gigs on October 27. The Black Crowes will open the Sunday show in Raleigh, North Carolina. ... Former New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight will be promoting his latest solo album, Love Songs, Friday on QVC. The disc, due in stores Tuesday, will feature new music along with covers of the Wham! hit "Careless Whisper" and Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You." Why launch the LP on a TV shopping network? The singer said it's an opportunity to "reach a wide variety of fans in a meaningful way." ...

WOXY.com — the online indie radio station that had been using "The Future of Rock and Roll" as its motto — is shutting down after two years of operation, barring help from a "significant partner." "It's become pretty clear that operating WOXY.com as a standalone Internet 'radio station' is not going to cut it," reads a post on the station's site. "Our operating costs are higher than you might think, and the revenue we were able to generate from advertising isn't close to supporting what we're doing. ... When your business doesn't make money, you eventually go out of business." The broadcasts will be silenced on September 15. ... Director/screenwriter Rémy Belvaux died Monday in Orry-la-Ville, France, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 38. Belvaux scored a cult hit with his controversial debut film, "Man Bites Dog," a faux documentary about a film crew following a serial killer. "He leaves us one masterpiece and tons of regrets," Belvaux's family said in a statement. No cause of death was given.

09.06.2006

It was one swanky soiree Tuesday night at New York's Capitale as Guess celebrated its 25th anniversary, one of many Fashion Week kickoff parties. (Feast your eyes on the smokin' snaps right here.) Kristin Cavallari and DJ AM mingled together in the VIP area, while Nelly Furtado made the rounds, posing for the paparazzi in a not-so-promiscuous outfit: a black dress covered by a bulky white jacket. Brit beauty Natasha Bedingfield gave a strong solo acoustic performance, and KT Tunstall sang her heart out to the chichi crowd, admitting that she's always been a "black horse" when it comes to fashion. "After being penniless for 10 years, this is very educational," she said. "I don't know much about fashion really. Some ladies are really tall, though. I'm not tall." Speaking of tall, statuesque models posed in front of blown-up Guess images of Carrie Otis, Claudia Schiffer and Anna Nicole Smith, re-enacting sultry black-and-white ads from the past. One model, who was sitting atop a huge pile of hay for three hours in nothing but a slinky dress, told MTV News she was a little uncomfortable and "itchy." Ah, what some women will do for fashion. Jimmy Fallon, Denis Leary, Eva Mendes and others will be presenting at the Fashion Rocks concert, airing Friday on CBS. ...

30 Seconds to Mars have beat out Angels & Airwaves, Blue October, Ima Robot, the Pink Spiders and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus for a Radio City Music Hall gig. After scoring the most text-message votes in the Want You to Sound Off contest, the band will play a set from the marquee of the legendary New York theater at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday to kick off the Fashion Rocks festivities, featuring live performances by Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera and many others. ...

Xzibit, Jaime Pressly, Shannon Elizabeth and Elisha Cuthbert were a few of the celebs who turned out to party with Tommy Lee and Papa Roach at their three-day Bacardi Global Gathering party last weekend in Las Vegas. Damien Fahey of "TRL," Melinda Clarke ("The O.C."), Roger Cross ("24"), Kelly Carlson ("Nip/Tuck") and Stacy Keibler ("Dancing With the Stars") also made the afterparty, held Sunday in the Real World suite at the Palms casino and hotel. Xzibit joined Papa Roach for an impromptu collaborative performance as well. ...

They don't holla back, but they look a lot like Gwen Stefani. The No Doubt singer announced Tuesday she's releasing a series of eight limited-edition dolls named after her debut solo album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Each 10-inch doll represents Stefani or one of her Harajuku Girl dancers dressed in costumes from the singer/designer's tour, and will be available for $24.95. Stefani isn't just focusing on toys — the singer has also been recording new music, according to a statement posted on her Web site. ... American Eagle Outfitters is dishing up songs and videos on its Web site, Aerie.com, as part of the urban mass-market label's new Artists Music Series. On Wednesday (September 6), the site premiered Ben Lee's new single, "Since I Met You," and a new cut by Zero 7 collaborator Sia, "Pictures." Lee is performing Wednesday night at the Union Square store in Manhattan, New York, and his Awake Is the New Sleep and Sia's "Colour the Small One" LPs will be released as special editions through AE. Videos for both artists, as well as interviews, live performances and more content, will be unveiled in AE stores and on the company's Web site. ...

After five months of speculation and rumor, Suri Cruise finally made her public debut on Tuesday. The offspring of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes is featured with her parents on the October cover of Vanity Fair, as revealed by Katie Couric on her first night hosting the CBS Evening News. The infant — who has a head of remarkably thick dark hair — was shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for a 22-page spread and is seen on the cover cradled inside Cruise's leather jacket, with Holmes looking over his shoulder. ... Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson amassed $36 million in assets during their three-year marriage — and since Simpson refused to sign a pre-nup, Lachey can claim approximately $18 million of that under California law. But according to TMZ.com, Lachey has agreed to less than his fair share in the couple's divorce proceedings in order to avoid a messy court fight. He will reportedly take more than the $1.5 million he was originally offered by Simpson, but considerably less than the 50 percent he's entitled to by law. ...

Death Cab for Cutie have scheduled yet another tour in support of Plans and their latest single, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark." The trek begins October 26 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and ends November 30 in Houston. ... The Pussycat Dolls casting call continues, with open tryouts being held Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles. Final contenders will face off on the CW series "The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll." Visit CWTV.com for an application and audition requirements. ... Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor has started working on new material for the follow-up to 2005's With Teeth. There's no official word yet on the album's title, but the LP could be out later this year or early 2007. ...

Michael Jackson will have to pay ex-wife Debbie Rowe $60,000 in attorney fees as she continues pursuing a custody case against him, The Associated Press reports. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert A. Schnider said Jackson must pay Rowe by September 28, although he did not rule on whether Rowe can have visitation rights to their children, Prince Michael and Paris. ... In related news, the man who won a multimillion-dollar settlement from Jackson in 1993 after accusing the pop star of molestation has won a permanent court restraining order against his father, according to AP. The unnamed man, now 26, said his father "struck him on the head from behind with a twelve and one-half pound weight and sprayed his eyes with mace or pepper spray and tried to choke him," according to an appellate court ruling. He was granted a temporary restraining order against his father in August 2005, but the judge refused to issue a permanent order at the time, a ruling a two-judge appellate panel said was a mistake. ...

A Kurt Cobain action figure, inspired by Nirvana's 1993 appearance on "MTV Unplugged," will be released this December. The 7-inch figurine will feature Cobain with his acoustic guitar, a chair, microphone and music stand. The toy will carry a $16 price tag. ... Willi Ninja, the New York dancer who inspired Madonna's song and video "Vogue," died Saturday at age 45 of AIDS-related heart failure, according to The New York Times. Ninja (born William R. Leake) — called the Grandfather of Vogue — helped popularize the dance style on the New York club scene in the 1980s, taking the strutting, posing gestures to the big screen in the acclaimed 1990 documentary "Paris Is Burning." He began dancing at age 7 and by the early 1980s he was vogueing all over New York in his signature style, which included swift, sharp arm movements inspired by martial arts. He later modeled in runway shows for designers Jean Paul-Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, and gave models including Naomi Campbell advice on how to strut on the runway, most recently working with Paris Hilton on her red-carpet sashay. ...

The cop is avoiding the slammer. Victor Willis, the former "policeman" in the 1970s disco band the Village People, was sentenced by a California judge on Tuesday to three years probation on drug and gun possession charges, according to a Reuters report. Willis, 55, who co-wrote such hits as "YMCA" and "In the Navy," pleaded no contest and got a suspended three-year, eight-month prison sentence on condition that he complete a 30-day drug treatment program at the Betty Ford Center in Southern California, followed by at least six months in a treatment program in Long Beach, California. The judge warned that Willis would go to prison if he violated his probation.

• Lindsay Lohan
• Britney Spears
• Kevin Federline
• Avenged Sevenfold
• R.E.M.

Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows
Photo: Ralph Notaro

Presumably as a Valentine's-Day nod to "Brokeback Mountain," Willie Nelson released a cover of the 1981 song "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other" via iTunes on Tuesday. The song was written by Texas singer/songwriter Ned Sublette (who has said he always imagined Nelson singing it) and was also covered by '90s gay punk outfit Pansy Division. Nelson's version was debuted on Howard Stern's satellite-radio show on Tuesday. ...

Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria have tapped the support acts for their forthcoming co-headlining spring tour. Head Automatica will open on all of the dates between the tour's launch on April 7 in Poughkeepsie, New York, through April 27 in San Jose, California. Eighteen Visions will take over on April 28 in San Diego and stay on through the final scheduled show on May 19 in New York. ...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta marked the start of Child Passenger Safety Week on Monday by making an example of Britney Spears. "Recent photos of Britney Spears driving with her infant son on her lap are troubling," Mineta said while announcing a new proposal to improve car-seat safety. "And while Ms. Spears has acknowledged her mistake, her actions still send the wrong message to millions of her fans. ... No matter who you are, there's absolutely no excuse for this display — not instinct, not fear, not even reckless paparazzi. It's irresponsible to compromise the safety of a child for the sake of the moment." ...

It's been more than two months since Chris and Irv Gotti were cleared of federal money-laundering charges, but according to Chris Gotti's attorney, Gerald Shargel, there's some unsettled business between his client and the Brooklyn, New York, U.S. attorney's office. The government, he explained, hasn't returned the $35,000 in cash that federal agents seized more than three years ago from a safe inside Chris' office during a raid of the Inc.'s headquarters. The government said the money, sequestered "for evidentiary purposes," would be returned within six weeks. But that deadline passed and the cash remains in an IRS bank account. Last week Shargel filed a motion requesting that the cash be returned. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office could not be reached for comment. ...

Singer Chris and guitarist Rich Robinson will be leaving the rest of the Black Crowes behind to embark on a road trip across the U.S. as a duo. The Robinsons' run of acoustic shows, billed Brothers of a Feather: An Acoustic Evening With Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, will feature the pair performing cuts from their catalog, tackling covers and debuting some new Crowes material. The 10-gig trek kicks off April 13 in Brooklyn, New York, and wraps up on April 25 in Los Angeles. ... 3 Doors Down will perform for the general public in the Middle East for the first time on March 16 at the Desert Rock Festival in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The show kicks off a 13-city tour that wraps April 4 in Wolverhampton, England. ...

The Academy Is ... will release an acoustic EP called From the Carpet on various Web sites February 21. The collection includes three tracks from the band's debut album, Almost Here, as well as two new songs and a cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." ... Brooklyn's French Kicks are heading to Los Angeles to begin work on their third full-length, according to their label, Star Time International. The band will once again team with producer Doug Boehm, who helmed the sessions for their 2004 album, The Trial of the Century. The Kicks currently have 16 songs written for the new album, and they hope to have it in stores by the summer. ...

Sinéad O'Connor is going back on the road. She's heading to the U.S. with Sly and Robbie in tow to play more reggae tunes from her album Throw Down Your Arms. O'Connor's seven-city tour kicks off Monday in Houston and wraps up March 1 in San Francisco. ... Built to Spill have rolled out 37 North American tour dates, beginning with a performance in Minneapolis on April 11 — the same day the band's new album, You in Reverse, hits stores. The trek is set to hit Chicago, Detroit, New York, Boston, Dallas and Washington, D.C., before winding down on May 20 in Austin, Texas. You in Reverse, Built to Spill's first LP since 2001's Ancient Melodies of Earth, will contain 10 tracks, including "Goin' Against Your Mind," "Wherever You Go," and "Mess With Time." ...

President Bush presented National Medals of Science and Technology to 15 honorees Monday, including a leader in organ-transplant advancements, the developer of a high-yield wheat that could feed millions around the world — and "Star Wars" director George Lucas. Lucas accepted the medal on behalf of his Industrial Light and Magic, honored for 30 years of innovation in visual effects and technology for the film industry. ... Actor Phil Brown, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen in "Star Wars," died Thursday of pneumonia, according to The Associated Press. He was 89. Brown worked in film and theater for more than 60 years, but he's best remembered for his role in the 1977 blockbuster. ...

Brooklyn avant-electro rockers TV on the Radio are gearing up for the May release of their still-untitled second full-length (their first since 2004's Shortlist Music Prize-winning Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes) by hitting the road. Their tour with Baltimore's Celebration kicks off April 21 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and runs until May 6 in Vancouver, British Colombia. More dates are expected to be announced shortly. ...

02.13.2006

Britney Spears plans to visit Mardi Gras in New Orleans on February 28, and "Good Morning America" will be there to broadcast her appearance as part of its coverage of the city's celebrations. "It is so important for this amazing city to continue its annual traditions, and I am really looking forward to being involved," Spears said in a statement. The singer will bring "surprises" for a group of "very deserving young residents." ...

The autopsy and toxicology test results for "Reservoir Dogs" actor Chris Penn were released Monday (February 13), with the Los Angeles county coroner's office concluding that the 40-year-old's January 24 death was an accident. Although Penn had several prescription medications in his system, including the highly addictive Promethazine, it was an oversized heart that has been ruled as the primary cause of death. A full coroner's report, containing additional details, is expected to be released in a few weeks. ...

Jennifer Lopez is appealing to Hispanics to donate bone marrow during a February 24-25 drive in New York for 29-year-old Janet Ovalles, who is suffering from blood cancer. Doctors say Ovalles' only chance for survival is a marrow transplant, and most matches come from people with the same ethnic background. In a statement released by DKMS, the German bone-marrow-donor center organizing the drive, Lopez said, "I am a young Hispanic woman, so is Janet. I could empathize with her situation so much." ... Snoop Dogg is also using his free time for a good cause. He's hosting the Rapper's Challenge Texas Hold 'Em Tournament, a one-day event in which poker players and celebs alike will bluff their way toward $25,000 and $50,000 prizes. The no-limit game will take place May 5 in the Port of Miami aboard a casino ship; Snoop's Uncle Reo will cook BBQ on the top deck. ... Christina Milian has set an April 25 release date for her third album, So Amazin', produced by the team behind "Lean Back," Cool and Dre. Christina shot the video for the first single, "Say I" featuring Young Jeezy, in Los Angeles over the weekend with Ray Kay (Destiny's Child's "Soldier"). In July Milian will return to theaters with "Pulse," a horror thriller based on the Japanese film "Kairo." ...

Hilary Duff will serve as honorary starter and Fantasia will sing the national anthem for the California Speedway Auto Club 500 on February 26. Hilary will be joined at the Fontana, California, track and on the starter's stand by sister Haylie Duff, and together they'll tour the track during driver introductions. One week after the Daytona 500, Auto Club 500 is the second race of the season for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. ... After finishing the current Wu-Tang Clan reunion tour, Ghostface Killah will hit the road on a 32-date North American headlining trek, kicking off March 5 in Pittsburgh and wrapping up April 23 in Buffalo. Ghost is promoting Fishscale, due March 28 and featuring the single "Back Like That" featuring Ne-Yo. ... 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold was injured in a car crash earlier this month, according to the band's Web site. The one-car accident occurred February 1 on a rainy road in Mississippi, and Arnold required stitches for his injuries. He is expected to make a full recovery. His wife, who was driving the vehicle, was not injured. 3 Doors Down canceled their February 4 performance at Bud Bowl, a pre-Super Bowl event in Detroit, due to the crash. ...

Drummer Christopher Emery has left American Head Charge, although it's unclear whether he quit or was fired. The band's bassist Mr. H.C. Banks III and singer Martin Cock said they axed Emery for "major irresponsibility, decreased drumming ability and an inflated sense of entitlement," according to a joint statement. "It turns out Chris was thinking of leaving anyway, although we only just found out by his posting on our Web site," the statement read. Emery had said he quit the band in a post that hit the site over the weekend, in which he stated, "I'm tired of watching drugs and alcohol destroy everyone around me, including myself." ... P.O.D. will hit the road this spring with Pillar, the Chariot and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster as part of the Warriors Tour 2: Guilty by Association run. No word yet on when the tour starts or how many cities the trek will encompass. ... Papa Roach, who've been working on their forthcoming sixth album, have posted on their Web site a video shot during the band's latest studio sessions. A series of videos is set to appear on the site as the Roach get further along in the process. The disc should be in stores before the end of the year. ... The Offspring have started work on their next studio LP, the follow-up to 2003's Splinter. In a post on the band's Web site, lead singer Dexter Holland said he and guitarist Noodles hit the studio to begin recording demo material. There's no word yet on when the Offspring plan to release the effort or when its official recording will begin. "[It's been] a blast," Holland wrote. "It feels good to get back in the studio and do some recording and just be a band, you know? I'm sure you do if you're in a band." ...

The Sounds — whose Dying to Say This to You is due March 21 — are teaming with Morningwood for a 40-date North American tour beginning March 22 in Los Angeles. Action Action are also on the bill. ... Stereolab will release Fab Four Suture — a collection of six singles previously available only as 7-inches, as well as six never-before-heard tracks — March 7. Look for the album to include "Get a Shot of the Refrigerator," "Whisper Pitch" and "I Was a Sunny Rainphase." ... She's only 19 years old (in about a week she'll be 20), but Charlotte Church is already writing her memoirs (again). The singer's just inked a deal with Orion to write her life story, which she's calling rather straightforwardly "Charlotte Church: The Autobiography." This would, of course, be her second such autobio, since she released "Voice of an Angel: My Life (So Far)" in 2001. ... Bassist Jimmy MacDonough has quit Megadeth, but no explanation has been offered for his unexpected departure. In his place, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has hired James LoMenzo, who has done time with Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, White Lion and David Lee Roth. ... Former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk will release his second solo album and follow-up to 1996's Return of the Frog Queen this summer. The singer/guitarist, also of the Fire Theft, will tour Europe in July and the U.S. in August.

[This story was originally published at 5:26 p.m ET on 02.14.2006]

• Avenged Sevenfold
• Willie Nelson
• Britney Spears
• The Black Crowes
• The Academy Is...

Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival 2005
Photo: Getty Images

The body of a 32-year-old Huntsville, Alabama, man was discovered on Saturday morning at the site of this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, marring the fourth-annual weekend-long event's otherwise celebratory mood. According to a report in the Huntsville Times, police identified the man as David Ottman, the son of a former Huntsville police chief; an official cause of death has not been determined, pending the results of an autopsy.

Hospital officials told The Associated Press that Ottman's friends informed them that he suffered from sleep apnea, a medical disorder in which the throat passage is narrow and becomes blocked by the throat muscles when they relax, cutting off the supply of oxygen. Police officials said no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at Ottman's campsite Saturday morning, and there were no apparent signs of trauma.

Emergency medical personnel tried to revive Ottman but, according to one hospital worker, "He was already pretty blue by the time we got on the scene. So he had probably been dead for a while."

Ottman's was the only reported death during this year's Bonnaroo event, which attracted more than 75,000 fans (see "Bonnaroo Kicks Out The Jams Thanks To Dave Matthews, John Mayer — And Bo Bice"). Two festival-goers died last year of apparent overdoses — a first for the festival, launched back in 2002 (see "Two Fans Die At Bonnaroo Music Festival"). Bonnaroo organizers hired additional emergency personnel for this year's outing.

Held over the weekend in Manchester, Tennessee, the festival featured performances by the Dave Matthews Band, former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio, Modest Mouse, the Mars Volta, Jack Johnson, the Black Crowes and others (see "Modest Mouse, Dave Matthews Band Top Bonnaroo 2005 Bill").

• Dave Matthews Band
• Modest Mouse
• The Mars Volta
• Jack Johnson
• The Black Crowes

Black Crowes' Chris Robinson (file)
Photo: Getty Images

What started out as a handful of getting-to-know-you (again) dates, has grown into a full-blown reunion tour for Southern rockers the Black Crowes.

Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson will take the stage with a number of old bandmates and a few new faces for their first shows since October 2001. Following a previously announced sold-out seven-night residency at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom in March (see "Black Crowes To Reunite — For Five Shows, At Least"), the band will play 24 headlining shows and festivals through a June 11 date at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, with more shows expected to follow, according to a spokesperson for the group.

In addition to the battling Robinsons, the band will feature guitarist Marc Ford, who left the group in 1997, longtime keyboard player Eddie Harsch and bassist Sven Pipien, who split in 2000. Bill Dobrow, a former member of Rich Robinson's side group Hookah Brown, will replace former Crowes drummer Steve Gorman.

Black Crowes tour dates, according to a spokesperson for the group:

• 3/22 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 3/23 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 3/25 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 3/26 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 3/27 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 3/29 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 3/30 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 4/21 - Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
• 4/22 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
• 4/23 - Gulfport, MS @ Grand Casino Gulfport
• 4/25 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 4/26 - Charleston, SC @ the Plex
• 4/27 - Raleigh, NC @ Disco Rodeo
• 4/29 - Knoxville, TN @ Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• 4/30 - Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
• 5/1 - Memphis, TN @ Beale Street Music Festival
• 5/5 - - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 5/6 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 5/7 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 5/10 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
• 5/11 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
• 5/13 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
• 5/14 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
• 5/16 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
• 5/17 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
• 5/22 - Pensacola, FL @ Springfest
• 5/24 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
• 5/25 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
• 5/28 - Little Rock, AR @ RiverFest Arts & Music Festival
• 5/29 - Montgomery, AL @ Jubilee CityFest
• 6/11 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

• The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Fans of the Black Crowes have a good reason to shake their moneymakers: The band has announced plans to reunite for a five-night run of live shows at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on March 22-26.

Reunion rumors began last summer, when the band's inactive Web site suddenly sprung to life, showing the band's logo — two "Crowe" heads facing each other — accompanied by audio clips of its music. The buzz intensified when longtime manager Pete Angelus confirmed that he had met with frontman Chris Robinson and his brother, guitarist Rich Robinson, in August 2004.

The Crowes went on hiatus in early 2002 after a 15-year, seven-album career. Announcing plans to pursue solo careers, the Robinsons parted ways indefinitely. Both brothers formed new bands with organic monikers: the New Earth Mud (Chris) and Brown Hookah (Rich). Chris also started a family with his wife, actress Kate Hudson.

Billed as "All Join Hands," each of the Hammerstein shows will feature a different opening act, hand-picked by the Robinsons. The openers include singer/songwriter Ben Kweller, blues-rock outfit the North Mississippi Allstars and Swedish rockers the Soundtrack of Our Lives.

Despite intense speculation among fans, Angelus says that the band will wait to "see how these shows at the Hammerstein evolve" before considering plans for a full tour or new album.

• The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson
Photo: Redline Entertainment

You'll soon be able to hear Chris Robinson's debut solo material live at any of the Black Crowes frontman's upcoming tour stops. You can also check out the lanky singer's acoustic-driven rockers on New Earth Mud, which hit stores this week. Just don't expect to be hearing any of them in a commercial.

"These young bands, they sign their songs to commercials and everything looks all the same and everybody dresses the same and everybody says the same bullsh--," Robinson complained. "Everyone's lip-synching again.

"To the dismay of others around me," he continued, "I refuse to start associating being overtly commercial with being successful. I'm not one who's validated by fame and money ... I think you can be commercially successful, but do you have to sleep with the lions? You lay down with lions, but do you have to become them? You should always have a healthy disrespect for authority, and you know what? Corporations are authority."

Despite his obvious ire toward corporate America and the artists who license their songs to say, car manufacturers, the 12 songs on New Earth Mud sound incredibly relaxed. Having spent over a decade fronting the often tumultuous Crowes alongside his brother Rich, the elder Robinson is feeling more than satisfied with his first solo outing.

"I don't think I've ever been this comfortable in my career," said the singer, who's married to actress Kate Hudson. "I'm happy with the record, I love the way it sounds, I love the songs. I loved being in Paris [recording] and working with [producer] Paul [Stacey]. I'm really happy in my personal life. And there's no politics and drama... We live in a time where independence is almost frowned upon. That's where my comfort zone comes from. I've already succeeded. I've already made the record I wanted to make and it feels the way I want it to feel.

"I want to sell millions of records," he added. "But if that doesn't happen, I'm secure and safe in the knowledge that I know that what I'm putting out there is real. And I don't have to make up some guise or some pose and be somebody I'm not to do it... Hey, if there were a bunch of teenage kids who wanted to stop following and start thinking and my record was the catalyst and I was on 'TRL,' cool. Now, am I going to become somebody I'm not to do that? Am I going to pretend to be hip and young? Am I going to be angry when I'm not angry? I don't pose for people."

Apparently, New Earth Mud has been a long time coming. The 35-year-old Robinson said he first wrote solo material outside of the Crowes (with members of Jellyfish) as far back as 1992.

"I had a great time doing it, but [it never came out] because of the Crowes and the commitment," he explained. "I can't do something just to do it, like 'Oh, here's a solo record, I'll put it out then go back to [the band].' I have to be fully committed. That's why some people, I guess, say the Crowes are broken up or on hiatus or whatever. I just told everyone the last time we met, 'I'll see you when I see you.' I don't really know what's gonna happen. Inevitably, when any relationship dissolves, it's tender and people say, 'F--- him,' and 'He said this,' and 'I quit.' I really managed to avoid a lot of that drama by getting into this work."

Chris Robinson tour dates, according to his publicist:

• 11/21 - Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room
• 11/22 - Austin, TX @ The Mercury
• 11/23 - Houston, TX @ Numbers
• 11/25 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
• 11/26 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
• 11/29 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
• 11/30 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
• 12/01 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
• 12/06 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 12/07 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 12/09 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
• 12/10 - Norfolk, VA @ Norva
• 12/11 - Charlottesville, VA @ Starr Hill
• 12/13 - New Haven, CT @ Toads Place
• 12/14 - Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
• 12/18 - Winooski, VA @ Higher Ground
• 12/19 - Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights

• The Black Crowes

Everything new is old again as Black Sabbath's Past Lives, a double live album of '70s material, hits shelves Tuesday (August 20). The LP features such classics as "Sweet Leaf," "War Pigs" and "Iron Man" in addition to the haunting "Symptom of the Universe" and the 10-minute "Megalomania."

Rocker girls Sleater-Kinney release One Beat, the follow-up to 2000's All Hands on the Bad One, while the Murderdolls, a side project of guitarists Joey Jordison of Slipknot and Tripp Eisen of Static X, exhume their raucously macabre Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls.

The Black Crowes also offer up a live double album, appropriately entitled Live. Finally, comedian Andy Dick and his band the Bitches of the Century are sure to win over fans with endearing tunes such as "Love Ninja (The Stalker Song)," "C--k & B---s," and "I'll F--- Anything That Moves." No way, Andy! You?

Out Tuesday, August 20:

• Ah Nee Mah - Grand Circle (New Pacifica)
• Amber - Naked (Tommy Boy)
• Anchor & Breakdance Vietnam - Anchor Vs. Breakdance Vietnam (EP, Triple Crown)
• Ape Breaks - Volume 1 (Ubiquity)
• Ape Breaks - Volume 2 (Ubiquity)
• Armik Lost in Paradise (Paras Group/ Bolero)
• Eric Bachmann - Short Careers: Music from Ball of Wax (Merge)
• Bad Boy Joe - Ultimate House Mega Mix (What If Prod.)
• Berlin - Voyeur (iMusic)
• Biffy Clyro - Blackened Sky (Beggars Banquet)
• Big Tray Dee - General's List (Empire Musicwerks)
• Frank Black - Black Letter Days (SpinART)
• Frank Black - Devil's Workshop (SpinART)
• The Black Crowes - Live (2 CDs, V2)
• Black Sabbath - Past Lives (2 CDs, Sanctuary)
    Read:
   
  
• Blindside - Silence (Elektra)
• Bowling for Soup - Drunk Enough to Dance (Silvertone)
• Calhouns - Made in the Dirdy South (Empire Musicwerks)
• Kirstin Candy - Another Sweet Mess (Liquid 8)
• Capital D With the Molemen - Writer's Block (All Natural)
• Seana Carmody - Struts and Shocks (Kimchee)
• Cash Money Millionaires - "Undisputed" soundtrack (Cash Money)
    Read: "Lil' Wayne, Big Tymers, Bubba Sparxxx On 'Undisputed' Disc"
• Neko Case - Blacklisted (Bloodshot)
• Cephalic Carnage - Lucid Interval (Relapse)
• Clipse - Lord Willin'' (Arista)
    Read:
• Wolf Colonel - Something/Everything! (K)
• Julee Cruise - The Art of Being a Girl (Water)
• Dark Tranquility - Damage Done (Century Media)
• Diamond Rio - Completely (Arista)
• Andy Dick & the Bitches of the Century - Andy Dick & the Bitches of the Century (Milan)
    Read:
• Dissection - The Somberlain (Century Media)
• DJ Acucrack - Dope King (Underground Inc.)
• Drive By Truckers - Alabama Ass Whuppin' (Terminus)
• Dubtribe Sound System - Chilifunk Recordings (Shadow)
• Explorers Club - Raising the Mammoth (Magna Carta)
• Dino Felipe - Xanaconversex (Schematic)
• Future Bible Heroes - Eternal Youth (Instinct)
• Gordon Gano - Hitting the Ground (Instinct)
    Read:
• Great Lakes - The Distance Between (Orange Twin)
• Hellecasters - Essential Listening Vol. 1 (Hightone)
• Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (Matador)
• Mike Johnson - What Would You Do (Up)
• Katatonia - Dance of December Souls (Century Media)
• Kidz Bop - Kidz Bop 2 (Razor & Tie)
• King Britt - Philadelphia Experiment Remixed (Ropeadope)
• Lady May - May Day (Arista)
   Read: "Lady May: Savage Hip-Hop Straight From the Suburbs"
• L.A. Guns - Waking the Dead (Spitfire)
• Lava Baby - Big Muff (Liquid 8)
• Lovers - Starlit Sunken Ship (Orange Twin)
• Maná - Revolución de Amor (Warner Bros. International)
• Manishevitz - Private Lines (EP, Jaguwar)
• Denison Marrs - Then is the New Now (Word)
• Angie Martinez - Animal House (Elektra)
• Mecca Normal - The Family Swan (Kill Rock Stars)
• The Mekons - Oooh! (Out of our Heads) (Quarterstick)
• Motion Man/ Kut Masta Kurt - Clearing the Field (Threshold)
• Mudhoney - Since We've Become Translucent (Sub Pop)
   Read:
   
  
• Murderdolls - Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (Roadrunner)
   Read:
   
  
• Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines (Relapse)
• Nocturne - Paradise Wasted (Underground Inc.)
• Non - Children of the Black Sun (Mute)
• John Oates - Phunk Shui (Beyond)
• Orbital - Work 89-02 (FFRR/ WSM)
• June Panic - Baby's Breadth (Secretly Canadian)
• Paralysed Age - Into the Ice (Dancing Ferret)
• Penance - Proving Ground (Martyr)
• Phantomsmasher - Phantomsmasher (Ipecac)
• Grant Lee Phillips - Ladies' Love Oracle (Zoe)
• Plain White T's - Stop (Fearless)
• Pluxus - European Onion (Rocket Girl)
• Pulp - We Love Life (Sanctuary/ RoughTrade)
• Radian - Rec.Extern (Touch & Go)
• Rivulets - Thank You Reykjavik (EP, BlueSanct)
• Thom Rotella - A Day in the Life (V2)
• Schneider TM - Zoomer (Mute)
• Seether - Disclaimer (Wind-up)
• Sera - Sera (Liquid 8)
• Sidonie - Let It Flow (Rainbow Quartz)
• Skhool Yard - New Way of Thinking (Threshold)
• Sleater-Kinney - One Beat (Kill Rock Stars)
   
  
• Anthony Smith - If That Ain't Country (Mercury Nashville)
• Rose Smith - Dawnraiding (Paras Group)
• Sonia Dada - Barefoot Soul (Calliope)
• Souljahz - Fault Is History (Squint)
• Spoon - Kill the Moonlight (Merge)
• The Standard - August (Touch & Go)
• Andy Stochansky - Five Star Motel (Private Music)
• Sugar Shack - Spinning Wheels (Estrus)
• Sunscreem - Ten Mile Bank (Radikal)
• Tegan & Sara - If It Was You (Vapor/ Sanctuary)
• Satoshi Tomiie - Nu Breed (Global Underground)
• The Turbo A.C.'s Damnation - Overdrive (Blackout!)
• Various artists - Alert Vol. 1 (Sony)
• Various artists - Dexter's Laboratory: Home Boy Genius (Rhino)
• Various artists ? "Fear Dot Com" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
• Various artists - Barrio Latino 3 (2 CDs, George V)
• Various artists - Hed Kandi: Base Bar 2002 (Hed Kandi)
• Various artists - La Maison de l'Elephant (Milan)
• Various artists - Mad Mike Presents: Mototrax Vol. 1 (Sanctuary)
• Various artists - Mastercuts Bar Social: Discotheque (Studio K7)
• Various artists - Plea for Peace Vol. 2: Take Action (Sub City)
• Various artists - "Possession" soundtrack (RCA Victor)
• Various artists - Put Your Hands Up! The Tribute Concert to Chuck Brown (Raw Venture)
• Various artists - TV Land Presents: Favorite Theme Songs (Rhino)
• Various artists - Urban Renewal Program (Chocolate Industries)
• Various artists - We Love New York (RCA Victor)
• Victory at Sea - The Good Night (Kimchee)
• Wauvenfold - 3Fold (Tiger Style)
• Kelly Willis - Easy (Rykodisc)
• Lee Ann Womack - Something Worth Leaving Behind (MCA Nashville)
• Yonder Mountain String Band - Mountain Tracks Volume 2 (Frog Pad)

• Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Distance Between (Ultimatum)
• BBMak - Into Your Head (Hollywood)
   
  
• Beenie Man - Tropical Storm (Virgin)
• Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (Nettwerk/ Capitol)
   
  
• The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is a Dead Scene (EP, Epitaph)
• Dixie Chicks - Home (Open Wide/ Monument/ Columbia)
• Eve - Eve-olution (Ruff Ryders/ Interscope)
   Read: "Eve, Alicia Keys Team Up For Some 'Gangsta Love'"
   Buy Now: Eve-olution (Ruff Ryders/ Interscope)
  
• Gus Gus - Attention (Moonshine)
• Aimee Mann - Lost in Space (Superego)
   
• Ms. Jade - Girl Interrupted (Beat Club/ Interscope)
   Read:
• Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
   Read: "Queens Of The Stone Age Flex Their Star Power"
   Buy Now: Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
  
• Silverchair - Diorama (Atlantic)
   Read: "Silverchair Craft U.S. Diorama, Plan New York Dates"
• Stone Sour - Stone Sour (Roadrunner)
   Read: "Corey Taylor Insists His Other Band Is No Slipknot Jr."
   
  

• Trina - Diamond Princess (Slip-N-Slide/ Atlantic)
   Read: "Diamond Princess Trina Recruits Tweet For 'No Panties' Single"
• Viva Death - Viva Death (Vagrant)

• Cassius - Au Rêve (Astralwerks)
• Ladytron - Light & Magic (Emperor Norton)
• Nine Days - So Happily Unsatisfied (Epic)
• OK Go - OK Go (Capitol)
• Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance (Century Media)
   Read: "You Hear It First: Shadows Fall"

• Black Sabbath
• Murderdolls
• Andy Dick
• Clipse
• Sleater-Kinney

Snoop once accused fans of only loving his Doggy Style, and this week, that just might be true. Hopefully going over better than Doggy's Angels is Snoop Dogg Presents... Doggy Style All Stars: Welcome to Tha House, Vol. 1, featuring tracks by the Doggfather himself plus Lady of Rage, RBX and Soopafly.

The Reindeer Section — brainchild of Glasgow musician Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol — showcase the talents of their 27-odd members including folks from Mogwai, Belle and Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub, the Vaselines and Arab Strap on their new release, Son of Evil Reindeer.

Brit rock doyenne Marianne Faithfull releases Kissin' Time with guest spots from Beck, Blur, Pulp and Billy Corgan alongside new albums from Sparta (Wiretap Scars), Brad (Welcome to Discovery Park), and Slum Village (Trinity).

And just when we thought it was possible to go a week without writing some such about so-and-so's new remix album, along comes Dance for Me by Mary J. Blige. The album features re-workings of "No More Drama," "Rainy Dayz," and "Family Affair." No hateration, please.

Out Tuesday, August 13:

• Bernard Allison - Storms of Life (Tone-Cool)
• Karrin Allyson - In Blue (Concord Jazz)
• Yolanda Aranda & Enrique Coria - Intimo (Acoustic Disc)
• Beatsteaks - Living Targets (Epitaph)
• Howie Beck - Hollow (Future Farmer)
• Mary J. Blige - Dance for Me (MCA)
• Blue Mountain - Tonight It's Now or Never (2 CDs, DCN)
• Joe Bonamassa - So, It's Like That (Medalist)
• Brad - Welcome to Discovery Park (Redline)
• Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (Saddle Creek)
   Read: "Dashboard Confessional, Custom, Abandoned Pools Don't Need No Stinkin' Band"
• Constant Flux - All Things Change (:\run)
• The Cost - Chimera (Lookout!)
• Éamonn Coyne - Through the Round Window (Compass)
• Do or Die - Back 2 the Game (Virgin)
• Bill Douglas - Homeland (Hearts of Space)
• Cliff Eberhardt - School for Love (Red House)
• End on End - Why Evolve We Can Go Sideways? (Substandard)
• Marianne Faithfull - Kissin' Time (Virgin)
   Read: "Marianne Faithfull Records With Billy Corgan"
• Jay Farrar - ThirdShiftGrottoSlack (EP, Artemis)
• Flipp - Volume (Popularity/ Artemis)
• Steve Forbert - More Young Guitar Days (Rolling Tide)
• Russ Freeman - Drive (Peak)
• Frou Frou - Details (MCA)
• The Future Sound of London - The Isness (Hypnotic)
• Vance Gilbert - One Thru Fourteen (Disismye/ Louisiana Red Hot)
• Thea Gilmore - Rules for Jokers (Compass)
• Guttermouth - Gusto! (Epitaph)
• Winsor Harmon - Stars of Texas (Neurodisc)
• Hellnation - Dynamite Up Your Ass (Sound Pollution)
• Alan and John Kelly - Fourmilehouse (Compass)
• Paul Krassner - Irony Lives (Artemis)
• Made Men - Black Friday (Surrender)
• Branford Marsalis - Footsteps of Our Fathers (Marsalis Music/ Rounder)
• Mary Lee's Corvette - Blood on the Tracks (Bar/None)
• Maserati - The Language of Cities (Kindercore)
• Brad Mehldau – Largo (Warner Bros.)
• Milemarker - Satanic Versus (EP, Jade Tree)
• Peter Mulvey - Ten Thousand Mornings (Signature Sounds)
• Nerf Herder - American Cheese (Honest Don's)
• Nickel Creek - This Side (Sugar Hill)
• Noise Therapy - Tension (Redline)
• Norma Jean - Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child (Solid State)
• Paul Oakenfold - A Voyage Into Trance (Hypnotic)
• Eliades Ochoa - Estoy Como Nunca (Higher Octave World)
• Plankton Man vs. Terrestre - Plankton Man vs. Terrestre (Provider/ :\run)
• Pseudopod - Pseudopod (Interscope)
• The Reindeer Section - Son of Evil Reindeer (PIAS America)
• Rockapella - Smilin' (Amerigo)
• Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo - Roots of Our Nature (Blind Pig)
• Saeta - Resign to Ideal (Fish the Cat)
• Sick of It All - Live in a Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Slum Village - Trinity (Priority/ Capitol)
• Soundisciples - Audio Manifesto (Peaceville)
• Sparta - Wiretap Scars (DreamWorks)
   Read: "Sparta Rise From At The Drive-In's Ashes With EP, Tour"  
• Peter Stuart - Propeller (Vanguard)
• Keith Sweat - Rebirth (Elektra)  
• James Taylor - October Road (Columbia)
• Paul Thorn - Mission Temple Fireworks (Back Porch)
• The Two Dollar Pistols - You Ruined Everything (Yep Roc)
• Various artists - AC/DC Tribute: Backed in Black (Reverberations)
• Various artists - Blue Light One (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - Old Skars & Upstarts 2002 (Disaster)
• Various artists - Raices Latinas: Smithsonian Folkways Latino Roots Collection (Smithsonian Folkways)
• Various artists - Snoop Dogg Presents... Doggy Style All Stars:
• Welcome to Tha House, Vol. 1 (MCA)
• Various artists - Hairspray (Sony Classical)
• Various artists - So Little Time (Trauma)
• Wonderlick - Wonderlick (Future Farmer)
• Zeromancer - Eurotrash (Cleopatra)

• Lady May - May Day (Arista)
   Read: "Lady May: Savage Hip-Hop Straight From the Suburbs"
• Maná - Revolución De Amor (Warner Music Intl.)
• Murderdolls - Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (Roadrunner)
   Read: "Corey Taylor Insists His Other Band Is No Slipknot Jr."
   
  
• Orbital - Work 89-02 (FFRR/ WSM)  

• Erykah Badu - TBD (EP, Motown)
• Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Distance Between (Ultimatum)
• BBMak - Into Your Head (Hollywood)
   
  
• Beenie Man - Tropical Storm (Virgin)
• The Black Crowes - The Black Crowes Live (V2)
• Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (Nettwerk/ Capitol)
   
  
• The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is a Dead Scene (EP, Epitaph)
• Dixie Chicks - Home (Open Wide/ Monument/ Columbia)
• Eve - Eve-olution (Ruff Ryders/ Interscope)
   Read: "Eve, Alicia Keys Team Up For Some 'Gangsta Love'"
   Buy Now: Eve-olution (Ruff Ryders/ Interscope)
  
• Gus Gus - Attention (Moonshine)
• Aimee Mann - Lost in Space (Superego)  
• Mudhoney - Since We've Become Translucent (Sub Pop)
• Ms. Jade - Girl Interrupted (Beat Club/ Interscope)
   Read: "Ms. Jade's 'Big Head' Is Meant To Move Your Big Butt"
• Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
   Read: "Queens Of The Stone Age Flex Their Star Power"
   Buy Now: Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
  
• Silverchair - Diorama (Atlantic)
   Read: "Silverchair Craft U.S. Diorama, Plan New York Dates"
• Stone Sour - Stone Sour (Roadrunner)
   Read: "Corey Taylor Insists His Other Band Is No Slipknot Jr."
• Trina - Diamond Princess (Slip-N-Slide/ Atlantic)
   Read: "Diamond Princess Trina Recruits Tweet For 'No Panties' Single"
• Viva Death - Viva Death (Vagrant)

• Cassius - Au Rêve (Astralwerks)
• Ladytron - Light & Magic (Emperor Norton)
• Nine Days - So Happily Unsatisfied (Epic)
• OK Go - OK Go (Capitol)
• Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance (Century Media)
   Read: "You Hear It First: Shadows Fall"

• Snoop Dogg
• Mary J. Blige
• Sparta
• Bright Eyes
• Slum Village

You don't need to hear it from a Korn Korrospondent (whatever happened to them, by the way?) to know that the band is "Here to Stay." Their latest album, Untouchables, is this week's big new release.

Nipping at Korn's heels are those lovable Osbournes, whose Family Album compilation includes a few oldies and some new goodies — Kelly's rendition of "Papa Don't Preach" and Pat Boone's TV-theme version of "Crazy Train" among them.

Former Tony! Toni! Toné! crooner Raphael Saadiq releases Instant Vintage, featuring D'Angelo, Angie Stone, and TLC's T-Boz, while They Might Be Giants fans say Yes to the band's latest effort, No!.

With renewed vision and a new label to express it on, David Bowie serves up Heathen, his latest offering, which features guest spots from Dave Grohl and the Who's Pete Townshend.

Wanna see where all the beef began? Check out The Difference, the compilation featuring KRS-One's first dis track to Nelly ("Clear 'Em Out") as it hits shelves as well.

And some tribute albums — to Disturbed and System of a Down — may be cool, but it seems like just about anyone can get this type of recognition these days. What's next, a tribute to Sum41? Oh, wait ...

Out Tuesday, June 11:

• Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope (Relapse)
• Gregg Allman - No Stranger to the Dark: Best Of (Legacy)
• Troy Andrews - Trombone Shorty's Swingin' Gate (Louisiana Red Hot)
• Arch Enemy - Black Earth (Century Media)
• Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly (Fat Beats/ Razor & Tie)
• AZ - Aziatic (Motown) Read about it ... AZ Shoots Video And Short Film Inspired By 'Training Day'
• Balligomingo - Beneath the Surface (Windham Hill)
• Joey Beltram - Form & Control (BML)
• Kristin Scott Benson - Straight Paths (Pinecastle)
• Black Crowes - By Your Side (reissue, American Recordings)
• Black Crowes - Sho'Nuff (5 CD Box Set, American Recordings)
• Blackshine - Soulless & Proud (Steamhammer)
• David Bowie - Heathen (ISO/ Columbia) Read about it ... Foos' Dave Grohl, Moby Are Bowie Buddies On New LP
• Jesse Brock - Kickin' Grass (Pinecastle)
• John Brown's Body - Spirits All Around Us (Shanachie)
• The Byrds - Byrds Play Dylan (reissue, Legacy)
• Caribbean Jazz Project - The Gathering (Concord Picante)
• The Clarks - Another Happy Ending (Razor & Tie)
• Concept - Culture Clash (Water Music)
• Cradle of Filth - Lovecraft & Witch Hearts (Koch)
• Dabrye - One/ Three (Ghostly International)
• Howie Day - Australia (reissue, Epic) Read about it ... Howie Day: Cutting Class And Kicking Ass
• Darling Kandie - People Next Door (Underground Inc.)
• Deathray - White Sleeves (EP, Doppler)
• Defragmentation - Self Construct (Underground Inc.)
• Dervish -Live in Palma (2 CDs, Compass)
• Daz Dillinger - This Is the Life I Lead (DPGRecordz) Read about it ... Daz Dillinger Lets The Dogs Out On DPG Album
• Earthride - Taming of the Demons (Southern Lord)
• Es Mac - My L.I.F.E (Let Me Live It!) (DIMW)
• Farrah - Moustache (Ark 21)
• Sue Foley - Where the Action Is (Shanachie)
• Chris Fortier - Bedrock (Bedrock)
• Nnenna Freelon - Tales of Wonder (Concord Jazz)
• Bill Frisell - The Willies (Nonesuch)
• G-Man - Avanti (EFA-CAR)
• Great Deceiver - A Venom Well Designed (Peaceville)
• Michele Greene - Ojo de Tiburón (Appleseed Recordings)
• Groove Assassins - Street Level Jams (Glasgow Underground)
• Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove -Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall (Verve)
• Hanna - Amen (Shadow)
• Hem - Rabbit Songs (Bar/None)
• Kristian Hoffman - & (eggBERT)
• James - Getting Away With It: Live (Sanctuary)
• Jorma Kaukonen -Blue Country Heart (Columbia)
• Keepsake - Black Dress in a B Movie (Fearless)
• Willie King - Living in a New World (Rooster Blues)
• Korn - Untouchables (Immortal/ Epic) Read about it ... Korn: The Untouchables
• Tim Krekel - Happy Town (FreeFalls/ Envoy Agency)
• Lana Lane - Project Shangri-La (Limb)
• Lathun - Fortunate (Motown) Read about it ... Lathun Drops Fortunate, Widens Neo-Soul Scope
• Little Axe - Hard Grind (Fat Possum)
• Sofia Loell - Right Up Your Face (Curb)
• Lucky Dube - Soul Taker (Shanachie)
• Lunar Aurora - Weltenganger (World War III)
• Magnetic - Lo Culture (Shadow)
• Malevolent Creation - Eternal (Crash)
• Mammoth Volume - Early Years (Crash)
• Marie Sisters - Marie Sisters (Republic/ Universal)
• Mars Ill - Blue Collar Sessions (Ill Boogie)
• Amanda Marshall - Everybody's Got a Story (Columbia)
• Ronnie McDowell - A Tribute to the King (Varèse Sarabande)
• Metalium - Millennium Metal (Crash)
• Montany - New Born Day (Limb)
• Mutabaruka - Life Squared (Heartbeat)
• New Found Glory - Sticks and Stones (MCA)
• Jeanne Newhall - Paris Nights (Marzipan)
• Nightmare - Cosmovision (Napalm)
• No Return - Machinery (Nuclear Blast)
• Origin - Informis, Infinitas, Inhumanitas (Relapse)
• Paradise Lost - Draconian Times (Koch)
• Peace Division - Nite:Life 010 (NRK)
• Phatzo - The Classics Vol. 1 (AMC)
• Quill - Voodoo Caravan (Steamhammer)
• Raphael Saadiq -Instant Vintage (Pookie/ Universal)
• Joe Sample - The Pecan Tree (PRA/ Verve)
• Santana - San Mateo Sessions (Universal)
• Seiko - Area 62 (Hip-O)
• Maia Sharp - Maia Sharp (Concord)
• Siebengurgena - Plagued Be Thy Angel (Napalm)
• Chad Simmons - Heaven Sent (Hitpros)
• Sinisstar - Future Shock (Geffen)
• Soul Parlor - Way We Talk (EFA-CAR)
• Special Skank - Ska Au Go Go (Cleopatra)
• Speedometer - Private (Lakeshore)
• Spice 1 -Spiceberg Slim (D3)
• St. John - Blast the Speakers (UBL)
• Ralph Stanley - Ralph Stanley (DMZ)
• Theorem - THX: Experiments in Synchronicity (Minus)
• They Might Be Giants - No! (Idlewild/ Rounder)
• The Tragically Hip - In Violet Light (Zoë/ Rounder)
• Valley's Eve - Deception of Pain (Limb)
• Various artists - Beatles Tribute: Number One Again (Lakeshore)
• Various artists - Body & Soul Vol. 4 (Wave)
• Various artists – "The Bourne Identity" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
• Various artists - Brazilectro Vol. 3 (SPV-NAV)
• Various artists - Constant Elevation (Astralwerks)
• Various artists - Defining Tech (Orbisonic)
• Various artists - The Difference (Official Jointz)
• Various artists - Electronic Tribute to Depeche Mode (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Globus Mix Vol. 6 (EFA-CAR)
• Various artists - Halo (Sumthing Else)
• Various artists - Inside Traxx (Warner Bros./ Curb)
• Various artists - King Size Dub: Chapter Eight (Echo Beach)
• Various artists – "Lilo and Stitch" soundtrack (Disney)
• Various artists - Loud Records: The Early Daze (RCA)
• Various artists – "Love and a Bullet" soundtrack (TVT)
• Various artists – "Mr. Deeds" soundtrack (RCA) Read about it ... Dirty 'Deeds': Adam Sandler Croons Bowie Classic
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U2's Bono
Photo: Amy V. Cooper

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With the lack of any new releases creating much of a stir on the new Billboard 200 albums chart, we'll instead use this week's SoundScan sales analysis to handicap the Grammy nominees for Album of the Year. We'll also roll the numbers in bidding a fond farewell — for now, anyway — to Southern-fried rockers the Black Crowes.

Grammy Winners By The Numbers

In the premier category of Album of the Year, this year's slate of Grammy Award nominees are dominated by a trio of three-million-sellers that were all released in late 2000, just missing the cut-off date for last year's Grammy Awards ceremony.

If sales figures were used to indicate favorites in a certain Grammy category, then Outkast's Stankonia would certainly be tipped as the leader for the Album of the Year, thanks to its 3.79 million in sales. That puts rap duo of Big Boi and Dre just ahead of the bluegrass- and country-tinged "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack to the acclaimed Coen Brothers film (3.55 million) and U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind (3.30 million). Rounding out the last two nominations for Album of the Year are the debut effort from India.Arie, Acoustic Soul (1.01 million), and Love and Theft, the latest album from rock icon Bob Dylan, which has sold 561,000 copies since its September release.

The Album of the Year title is not always bestowed upon the biggest-selling nominee, as evidenced by the Grammy win posted by Steely Dan's Two Against Nature (996,000 copies sold to date) over Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (8.64 million) last year. But the Recording Academy has, in the last decade, chosen such notable sellers as Santana's Supernatural (10.96 million), Celine Dion's Falling Into You (10.43 million) and Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill (13.89 million) for Album of the Year.

Dylan won the Album of the Year Grammy in 1998 for his Daniel Lanois-produced comeback LP, Time Out of Mind, so it seems highly unlikely that the wisened singer/songwriter would be crowned a second time for its follow-up. And despite her accomplished debut, India.Arie also seems a bit of a stretch for Album of the Year honors as well, as the nouveau R&B spirit of Acoustic Soul seems akin to that of another recent winner, Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999.

Of the three other discs vying for Album of the Year, the odd LP out seems to be the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack. The last soundtrack to capture an Album of the Year Grammy was the Whitney Houston-driven "The Bodyguard" album in 1994, and we're not sure if the Recording Academy would be willing to give its top album honor to a country record that wasn't by Garth Brooks or the Dixie Chicks.

That would seem to leave U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind and Outkast's Stankonia to face off in a classic Album of the Year showdown: cherished veteran act vs. up-and-coming innovators. In light of the fact that U2 won three Grammys at last year's event for its "Beautiful Day" single from All That You Can't Leave Behind, the Irish band appears to be a lock for its first Album of the Year award since its 1987 album, The Joshua Tree.

But what makes us hesitant to lean toward U2 in 2002 is the simple idea that at some point in the 21st century, the Recording Academy must choose a rap LP as Album of the Year. They did come close in 2001 with Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP, but the controversy that surrounded that album's nomination would have been nothing compared to the firestorm that would have engulfed the Grammys had Eminem actually won.

Simply put, Outkast's Stankonia would provide the Recording Academy with a safer, yet undeniably legitimate, rap Album of the Year. But six weeks out, we'd still call it a tossup between U2 and Outkast.

Regardless of who takes home the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the winner is sure to see his or her sales spike upward the week immediately following the ceremony.

Last year, sales of Steely Dan's Two Against Nature shot up from just 3,000 copies the week before the Grammys to more than 31,000 copies the week after, a jump that catapulted the reunion LP to #54 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Santana's Supernatural was already the #1 album the week before the Grammy Awards were handed out in 2000, but after it was named Album of the Year, sales more than doubled from a respectable 219,000 copies the previous week to a mammoth 583,000 copies the week following the win.

For those keeping score, the last 10 winners of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year — and their corresponding SoundScan sales figures to date — are:

• Steely Dan, Two Against Nature (996,000 copies sold)
• Santana, Supernatural (10.96 million)
• Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (6.04 million)
• Bob Dylan, Time Out of Mind (868,000)
• Celine Dion, Falling Into You (10.43 million)
• Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill (13.89 million)
• Tony Bennett, MTV Unplugged (765,000)
• "The Bodyguard" soundtrack (11.68 million)
• Eric Clapton, Unplugged (7.27 million)
• Natalie Cole, Unforgettable (6.02 million)

Black Crowes: These Birds Have Flown

It appears that the Black Crowes have musically "winged it" for the last time.

The Black Crowes are going on hiatus for the time being, according to a statement issued by the band's publicists earlier this week. The move follows the recent departure of Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, the last remaining original member of the band aside from brothers Chris and Rich Robinson.

The announcement brings a turbulent two years to a close for the Atlanta-based Crowes, who first stormed onto the national music scene in 1990 with their debut LP, Shake Your Money Maker. The album produced two of the band's biggest singles, the acoustic ballad "She Talks to Angels" and a cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle," and has sold some 3.79 million copies to date.

The Crowes' second effort, 1992's The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, also reached a platinum nest by tallying some 1.79 million in sales. Despite the drop-off between their first two LPs, it was with the band's third album, 1994's Amorica, in which the group seems to have musically yin-ed as its audience yang-ed. The batch of "experimental" songs and road-weary ditties sold only 536,000 copies and was the start of the Crowes' sales plummet, followed by 1996's Three Snakes and One Charm (311,000 copies sold), and 1999's By Your Side (271,000).

The Black Crowes appeared to be gaining lift in 1999 after a joint tour with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page spawned the double concert album Live at the Greek. After Page's back injury forced them to abandon plans for a fall 2000 trek in support of the album, momentum (and sales) for Live at the Greek stalled, with the record's sales eventually settling around 202,000 copies sold.

A Black Crowes best-of compilation, titled Greatest Hits 1990-1999: A Tribute to a Work in Progress and released in June 2000, also underwhelmed music buyers. The now-seemingly complete Tribute to a Work in Progress has sold less than 240,000 copies to date — a fraction of what one of the Crowes' contemporaries, Lenny Kravitz, has sold of his own Greatest Hits LP (3.35 million).

New things appeared to be afoot for the Black Crowes the following year, thanks to a new label deal (with V2 Records) and the media attention surrounding Chris Robinson's wedding to actress Kate Hudson. However, the resulting album, Lions, failed to register much of a roar upon its release in May 2001 and has sold just 192,000 copies so far.

Considering the Black Crowes' current "hiatus," it leads us to ponder the fate of another sibling band, and a group with whom the Crowes mounted one of their final tours: Oasis.

Fronted by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, the Brit-rock outfit has also endured a rather precipitous drop-off in sales with its two most recent releases, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (189,000 copies sold to date) and the double-live disc Familiar to Millions (64,000), both of which were issued in 2000. Those numbers indicate that Oasis' sales have "dried up" significantly as compared to the figures posted by the group's first three albums, 1994's Definitely Maybe (713,000 copies sold), 1995's (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (3.49 million) and 1997's Be Here Now (963,000). As the late George Harrison once sang, "All things must pass," y'know?

[In SoundScan we trust. All figures, unless otherwise noted, are according to SoundScan's audited sales numbers and reflect sales as of press time.]

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.

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